There's A Whorse Sin Than Hatred

When someone asks, "What is the opposite of love?" we usually answer, "Hate." I would argue that there's something even worse than hate; and that is the sin of apathy. Let me give you a lesson in apathy. If you want to hurt people deeply, ignore them. Be indifferent toward them. Act as if you are disinterested in them. Be totally insensitive to their needs. Avoid them as a means of showing your unconcern for their feelings. Apathy will clearly and harshly demonstrate your refusal to love them. End of lesson. 

Jesus was quite aware of the apathy in the hearts of people. Many of his parables pointed to apathy as a destructive force in people's lives. A rich young man asked Jesus how he could obtain eternal life. Jesus told him to sell all he had and give to the poor. The young man was insensitive to the poor and refused - apathy. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a priest and a Levite crossed to the opposite side of the road ignoring a dying man - apathy. Merchants sold their wares on the porch of the Temple, not caring about where they were - apathy. While Mary listened intently to the words of Jesus, Martha was unconcerned for what Jesus had to say - apathy. The elder brother of the prodigal son was completely insensitive toward his brother who had given up 'loose living" and returned home to his family - apathy. Being indifferent, unconcerned, and insensitive toward others deeply troubled Jesus. When he perceived such attitudes in people he knew that apathy had replaced love in their hearts. 

Apathy is also a threat to our personal lives. When we ignore the needs of our children - apathy. When we are insensitive to our neighbors - apathy. When we are unconcerned about the poor in our world - apathy. When we care nothing for the homeless in our community - apathy. The list goes on and on. 

Apathy also threatens our love of God and our Church. When we are nonchalant about our poor Church attendance - apathy. When we ignore the need for our talent in the Church - apathy. When we make no effort to meet and greet one another as brothers and sisters in Christ - apathy. When we become disinterested in our own Christian education and spiritual growth - apathy. When we become insensitive to the needs of the Church, even though it's doing God's work - apathy. When we say, "Put me down for the same pledge that I made last year and the year before," - apathy. 

So you see - hatred is not nearly so destructive as apathy. Hatred can be addressed and, in time, overcome. But apathy is a silent killer - like a disease - and it strikes at the soul. And there is only one prescription that will cure the disease of apathy - LOVE. To overcome the sin of apathy we must offer our deepest love to God, to our families, to our neighbors, and to our Church - in very very large doses. 

Gene⁺